What is a good natural scale killer?

My plants are infested with scale and I would prefer something natural if possible. I usually use a few drops of dishsoap in a spray bottle for aphids, but scale have those hard shells so soap won't work. I have a two year old daughter so nerve agents (aka organophosphates) are out of the question.

But you have to buy it in very concentrated and deadly form and you have to dilute it yourself, so I am not sure that is a good idea around children.

on. kills the little suckers

works everytime.

50/50 rubbing alcohol and water in a quart bottle, and then add a cup of mineral oil and a teaspoon or two of dish detergent. Then mist your plants with it. The guy on our local radio garden show mentioned this not long ago. You can either do this, or you can buy a box of ladybugs and let them go on the plants, but I don't think you want to do this if your plants are inside.

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Does that leave a heavy residue? I have some neem oil but didn't think it work on scale that well.

It may not be that much, or maybe you mix it in a halr-gallon jug instead of a quart jug. :shrug:

Applied over and over again

or is my house now a "carrier" of scale?

so if there are no living populations for a few weeks, it should be clear of them.

because scale is smothered by it, not so much poisoned, as they would be with a strong systemic poison.

If you miss one (the insects are very tiny) it can make new scale.

I handle scale two different ways, and i have had varying degrees of success.

not a valuable plant? toss it. Clean the pot and put it in an oven (clay pots I'm talking about here) on the lowest for an hour, more or less.

I am an organic gardener, but if it is a valuable plant and organic controls aren't working, I WILL break my organic-ness and poison the plant. I have some Black Mondo grass (potted, outdoors) that is worth hundreds. I have used systemic poison on it. For now, I am using Hort oil.

Insects and disease attack plants when they are under stress, just like us.
Never water your plants with cold water.
Never over or underwater them.
Keep them fed well, according to each individuals needs.
Once the scale is under control, clean and sterilise your pots, knocking off and replacing the top of the soil. Throw that soil in the trash.
Plants that are very infested, consider tossing into the garbage, not your compost.
In future, quarantine all new house plants for a couple weeks. Your infestation was not created through biogenesis.

Good Luck. :hi:

oh darn cannot remember the name... i read it can cause parkinsons, which is what killed my dad. rotenone? god i hate aphids. i'm going to have to give away the roses or something. yikes.

Systemics, by their very nature are poison. and very poisonous to boot.

Most insecticides are neurotoxins, which can cause Parkinson's like diseases in humans.

Read the warning, call the company if you have questions. use protective gear.

The dose makes the poison.

the scaly bits to kill the eggs underneath before treating. or if a particular leaf is really bad- just discard it
alcohol alone is good as a spot treatment, so is the oil (you should be aiming to smother the crusty bit w/ it) . but you shld keep plant in shade for a day after to recover after applications. the spray is good for all over if your plant can take it, so test it on a leaf first. you have to be vigilant cleaning the scales every 10 days or so for maybe two months. if it doesn't seam like it getting better, you need to try and see if it's in the roots, too. you may need to repot and soak the roots in the spray mix. again, you'll have to do it every 10 days or so for a minimum of a month to kill all phases of it's life cycle.
good luck. i hate those buggers.

if any of the leaves of your plants is blue, or has what is called a 'bloom' (some plums and unwashed apples have it-it rubs off) the spray will take it away, but that is cosmetic. AS for soaking the ROOTS in it, I wouldn't. Roots need to be able to exchange gases (Oxygen primarily) and a smotherer, such as an oil would defeat that.

Follow the instructions. You have to mix it and use all that you mix or throw it away. It takes very little conentrate to a lot of water.

reeeeally tiny shotgun. :D